3893 - Italy, after 1749–1753

Italy, after 1749–1753 Pen and ink in black, with gray wash; watercolors in yellow, light red, and violet. Pencil corrections; on laid paper with watermark: "FIN DE M. PASSION EN FOREST/1749," inscribed at top: "progetto p la Chiesa di S. Gio.ni Decolato di Sommariva." Slightly creased throughout. Lit: Andrea Leone, Sommariva del Bosco nella storia, ed. by Piero Camilla (Società Audi Storico di Cuneo) Savigliano 1982, pp. 107 ff. In 1602, a brotherhood called the "Compagnia della Misericordia" was founded in Sommariva del Bosco, whose primary mission was to free one person sentenced to death each year or to support their relatives. The church, built in 1632, was remodeled in 1753 by an architect whose identity is unknown and, on that occasion, was dedicated to “S. Giovanni Battista Decollato,” that is, John the Baptist the Beheaded, the patron saint of the brotherhood. In 1789, the church was restored and brought to the condition in which it remains today. The floor plan reflects the conversion of the older hall church into a church in the Settecento style with side chapel niches. The chancel was to be separated from the nave by a gently curved balustrade. Additionally, the sacristy adjacent to the chancel and other ancillary rooms are indicated. To the right of the façade rises the campanile on a square plan (see the following catalog number). The watercolor rendering in various colors indicates the scope of the renovation project. Light red denotes the existing masonry, yellow the sections to be demolished, and dark red the new structures. Additional changes were noted in pencil.